A hiking path sign on Amorgos indicates how many hours it will take to walk from the northwest port town of Egali to Halara beach, the Asfontilitis agricultural area, the Holy Monastery of Panagia Chozoviotissa, and the island’s capital, Chora.
Category: Cyclades islands
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Memorable meals: Our matsata & meatball lunch at Irene’s cozy grocery-café on Folegandros
The unassuming exterior of Irene’s kafepantopoleio (café and grocery store) on the road that winds through Ano Meria village on charming Folegandros island
The small inside space doubles as a convenience store and restaurant
Famous food: You probably wouldn’t expect a convenience store to dish up some of the most delicious home-made pasta you’ve ever tasted, but then you probably haven’t been to Irene’s kafepantopoleio on Folegrandros, either.
I had never heard of Irene’s grocery-café until I read Greece’s Best-Kept Secret (Until Now), the cover story on Folegandros in the December 2004 edition of Condé Nast Traveler magazine. Writer Adam Sachs described celebrating his second wedding anniversary at Irene’s with a dinner meal of matsata — a local pasta traditionally served with rooster. “Irene made the matsata in our presence,” he wrote, “and as hoped for, it was a rich, gooey pleasure. It was cut into ribbons, and the texture was somewhere between a noodle and a dumpling. The rooster broth was poured over the matsata, the legs and breasts served on another plate.” The filling meal was followed by a dessert of “homemade goat’s-milk rice pudding with flecks of orange zest.”
I clipped the article and filed it away, not expecting that we would wind up visiting Folegandros three years later.
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Taking a gander at some of the popular natural attractions at the harbourfront in Naoussa
Geese swim in the water below the stone bridge near the Naoussa harbourfront
Giggles and gaggles: The circular Venetian-era stone fort, the picturesque fishing harbours and the colourful sailboat and motorboat marinas are among the top attractions that draw tourists to the waterfront at Naoussa, the second-largest town on Paros. But there are a few natural wildlife attractions that get their fair share of attention down by the seaside, too.
If you head over to the stone bridge and the little tree-shaded parkette near the excursion boat quay, you could wind up having a close encounter with some gaggles of gregarious geese that like to hang out in the general vicinity.
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Top 6 memories of my Mykonos holiday in 2012 #2: Exploring the streets of Mykonos Town
A hillside view overlooking Mykonos Town and its harbour area
Lots to see: Unlike a lot of visitors, I never get bored of Mykonos Town. Many people think they’ve seen all that’s worth seeing after they walk along the harbourside, visit Little Venice, and stroll some of the narrow, twisting streets.
But those people see only the highly commercial, touristy side of Mykonos Town — the lanes lined with jewellery stores, T-shirt shops and tavernas. They don’t wander far enough away from the main tourist zone to walk the quiet residential streets or climb to hillside lookout points that offer amazing views over the town, harbour and beyond.
Even after 7 separate visits to Mykonos, each of which has included a lot of walking around town, I still keep discovering streets and vantage points I’ve never seen in my favourite Greek Island town.
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